The use of antimicrobial agents to eliminate or control the growth of various microorganisms is widely known. For example, it is known to use antimicrobial agents to control the growth of microorganisms in a variety of industrial processes, including those relating to the paint, pulp, paper, oil, rubber and tobacco industries; to use antimicrobials in commercial settings, particularly to disinfect contaminated surfaces; and to include antimicrobial agents in a wide variety of household goods such as foods, cosmetics and toiletries.
To accommodate such needs, a variety of antimicrobial agents are known. However, despite the many commercially available antimicrobials, no single agent is entirely suitable for every application. Problems with efficacy, safety, environmental acceptability and cost make certain antimicrobials more or less suitable for a particular application.
Certain advantages of using a combination of antimicrobial agents in a single application are known in the art. For example, it is known that a combination of agents may provide an antimicrobial which is effective against a broader spectrum of microbes than are controlled by a single agent alone. This broad spectrum coverage is especially useful in industrial applications where a diversity of microorganisms is frequently encountered.
It is also known that using a combination of antimicrobials can make the agents more effective when the antimicrobial composition is to be used over an extended course of treatment. One reason for this increased effectiveness is that a combination of antimicrobials is less susceptible to having the targeted microbes develop a resistance to the antimicrobial agent because microorganisms cannot readily adapt to more than one active ingredient at a time.
Moreover, using a combination of agents enables one to take advantage of antimicrobials which have different, yet complementary, physiochemical properties.
In light of this background, there is a continuing need for unique antimicrobial compositions comprising combinations of antimicrobial agents. The present invention addresses this need.